Saturday, September 23, 2017

How the U.S. is Helping Boost Women Entrepreneurship in India

TiE Global, a non-profit organization dedicated to fostering entrepreneurship around the world, wants to help increase women entrepreneurship in India. The United States is helping by stepping forward with the first round of funding.How the U.S. is helping

TiE Global organized a two-day Women Entrepreneurs Conclave recently in New Delhi during which 25 women entrepreneurs were selected to attend a workshop, Her Power: A Women Entrepreneurs Conclave. Project AIRSWEEE (All India Road Show on Women’s Economic Empowerment through Entrepreneurship) is designed to speak with women across multiple states to talk to them about starting their own businesses.

Research reveals that four out of five women in India would like to start a business. TiE Global's Project AIRSWEE wants to empower more women in India by inviting US and India-based experts to mentor early stage women entrepreneurs through skill development workshops in five cities. With the first round of funding from the US state government, TiE Global’s project has impacted 125 women entrepreneurs across 27 states in India.

Far-reaching benefits

According to Project AIRSWEEE Chairperson, Seema Chaturvedi, “The programme has created multi-dimensional impact. Economic empowerment of a woman creates a ripple effect, which not only catalyzes gender equality, resulting in positive social reforms, but can truly have a multi-generational impact.”

Seema is also the Managing Director of Accelerator Group, an investment and knowledge services firm that has a presence in the US and India. She announced that her group has committed to fund $25 million for the creation of an early stage private equity fund, Achieving Women Entrepreneurs (AWE) Fund I. The fund will help women-owned and led enterprises.